Summary
The term “grinding” often has a negative connotation, but there’s something to be said about the gameplay loop that stems from it. There’s a feeling of satisfaction that comes from gaining experience points, reaching new goals, and racking up tons of loot. And if you get rewards for doing so, the better.
The bottom line is that if a game is fun enough, grinding is a surefire way to keep the momentum going for countless hours. While the concept is often associated with multiplayer genres like MMORPGs, there are plenty of incredible video games that offer enthralling grinding mechanics if you prefer to play single-player.
Monster Hunter World’s premise is right there in its title. Take control of a warrior tasked with exploring open-ended regions and slaying every beast in sight. Each fight is like a puzzle, requiring you to study the monster’s behavior and pinpoint a weakness before going in for the kill.
On top of grinding for weapons and armor, you’re able to also farm decorations, which you can put on items to enhance their skills. You can easily spend dozens of hours grinding if you want to unlock all the content in the game.
The Disgaea series is known for being particularly grindy, and the fifth installment is a great entry point. This tactical RPG follows a young demon named Killia who must raise an army to overthrow the leader of the Netherworld. Known for its strategic turn-based combat and quirky humor, Disgaea 5 is a hilarious and exhilarating adventure from start to finish.
Completionists have a lot of content to delve into. With 10-15 party members allowed on the battlefield and a level cap of 9,999, you’ll be spending most of the game’s 200-hour campaign farming for as many experience points as possible. The post-game, in particular, offers plenty of opportunities for heavy grinding.
Vampire Survivors is, at its core, all about grinding. In this spooky roguelike, you explore randomly generated worlds while using automated attacks to annihilate hoards of monsters and gain experience points. Leveling up grants access to new weapons, abilities, and upgrades, allowing you to take on even bigger mobs and tougher foes.
True to the roguelike format, the goal is to play multiple runs and survive longer each time. Individual playthroughs involve farming enough weapons and stat boosts to stay alive until the 30-minute mark. Meanwhile, the overall objective is to collect enough gold topurchase new charactersand items, which can then be taken with you into battle. It’s a satisfying gameplay loop with endless replay value.
My favorite part of Vampire Survivors is how accessible it is. The controls and gameplay are so easy to learn that even a complete roguelike newcomer like me could instantly grasp it and have a blast.
Factorio is essentially one big grinding simulator. You’re an astronaut stranded on an alien planet and must farm resources to build an escape rocket. The goal is to create and manage a factory to make the grinding process faster and more efficient.
You start off gathering materials by hand, but as you build machines, you can design automated systems that mine and transport resources for you. Watching your factory blossom provides an incredible feeling of satisfaction, which is only enhanced as you discover new ways to streamline production. Check it out for a fascinating strategy game you can play for dozens of hours.
Fans of management games will feel right at home with Supermarket Simulator. You’re the owner of a tiny convenience store tasked with turning the place into the town’s largest superstore. In addition to customizing the shop and pricing items, you mustdevelop long-term strategiesto attract new customers and gain positive reviews.
Not only are you grinding for money to purchase new products and hire staff, but you’re also farming Store Points, which make new upgrades available as your level increases. Points are awarded based on customer satisfaction and are subtracted if guests can’t find the item they want or if the prices are too high. Overall, it’s a gratifying casual experience with hours of content to immerse yourself in.
I was initially skeptical of the premise. After all, how fun could running a grocery store be? But after giving it a shot, I was pleasantly surprised at how rewarding it felt to go from an unknown bodega to a thriving supermarket. If you like simulation games, I’d highly recommend trying this one.
Often considered the 2D equivalent of Minecraft, Terraria is a side-scrolling sandbox game about building, crafting, and surviving. You’re put in a procedurally-generated world whereyou can design a house, explore caves, fight bosses, and much more. With no definitive ending, you’re free to adventure, create things, and construct towns to your heart’s content.
Grinding is a vital part of Terraria’s gameplay since everything you make, from buildings to weapons to health upgrades, requires resources. Thankfully, you can farm anything you need by digging, mining, fighting enemies, etc. It’s a relaxing experience that provides just enough challenge to keep you engaged.
From the mind of Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin, Elden Ring is a world-renowned open-world adventure. You control the Tarnished, an exiled warrior who returns to their kingdom on a mission to become the Elden Lord. The world is rich with secrets, towering bosses, treacherous dungeons, and intricate side quests.
Above all else, Elden Ring is famous for its merciless Soulslike difficulty. Grinding is key if you want to survive the game’s many formidable dangers. Beating enemies rewards you with runes, which you’re able to trade for stat boosts, items, and weapons. Nothing is as fulfilling as farming enough experience points to finally take down the trickier boss.
You can’t talk about grinding without mentioning Pokemon. Pretty much any title in the series provides countless hours of farming, but Black and White stand out asthe best of the best. With 156 Pokemon to catch and evolve, you can spend endless amounts of time battling, grinding for experience points, and building the perfect team.
If you’d like to get really competitive, you’re able to breed Pokemon to get the best IVs and natures. And that doesn’t even include the grinding you can do to catch shiny Pokemon. If you want a JRPG where you can farm endlessly, Black and White hold up phenomenally and provide an enticing gameplay loop you can return to again and again.
If you can’t find a copy or don’t have a DS, any Pokemon game on Switch will deliver a similar experience. My personal preference is Legends: Arceus.
